Baseball is a game suited for players with a short memory. For the Massachusetts baseball team Tuesday’s 2022 home opener against Holy Cross will be a game to forget. UMass (6-6-1) lost 17-6 to the Crusaders (4-17) in true blowout fashion.
The onslaught of one-sided scoring started in the top of the first inning, when Holy Cross scored three runs on three singles off starter junior Matt Aronson, along with a wild pitch, to cap off a messy inning defensively for the Minutemen. This trend continued into the third inning, when the Crusaders tallied three more runs on a combination of singles and runner-advancing errors to push the score to 6-0.
In the bottom half of the third inning, UMass showed some promise, answering with a three-run rally topped off by a Colin Shapiro two-RBI double to left field. It eventually turned into a Little League home run, as Shapiro scored on a wild throw sliding into third base.
The Minutemen scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, on back-to-back doubles from junior Dylan Judd and senior Aidan Wilde, who eventually scored on a passed ball. The home team brought the score to 6-5, which became the smallest deficit UMass would see on the scoreboard for the rest of the day.
Over the next three innings, Holy Cross scored 10 runs on 11 hits, including eight singles and two triples. The Minutemen cycled through a number of different pitchers but failed to gain a rhythm and an establishment of control over the strike zone.
“We left balls over the plate,” head coach Matt Reynolds said. “Give [Holy Cross] credit, they took advantage.”
UMass lost all its momentum, and only managed to score one run over the final five innings. The initial struggles to keep the Crusaders off the scoreboard dictated the tone of the game, with the Minutemen fighting from behind the entire affair.
“We got ourselves in a hole,” Reynolds said. “The game just spiraled out of control.”
The crux of the struggles for the Minutemen involved their pitching performance. The home team staff allowed the Crusaders to rack up 11 earned runs on 20 hits and eight walks. Eight different pitchers made appearances for UMass throughout the game, none of whom could find a way to limit the scoring over multiple innings.
This comes as a surprise, however, because the pitching staff this year is one of the Minutemen’s biggest strengths.
“We feel like, going into the season, this is the most pitching depth we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Reynolds said.
One bright spot for the Minutemen rotation was freshman Cole Koeppel, making his first appearance since recovering from Tommy John surgery. Koeppel tossed a scoreless inning in his return, striking out one and allowing no baserunners.
“He looked really sharp,” Reynolds said of his returner.
Over the first 13 games of the season, the UMass pitching staff has maintained a 4.46 earned run average, which is a promising trend for the rest of the season, due to the advantage pitchers have as the weather gets warmer. The Minutemen’s home opener on Tuesday featured high winds and low temperatures. Hitters normally have the advantage in the preliminary stages of the season because pitchers’ velocities are down, and arms are not fully warmed up yet.
UMass has spent the first portion of its 2022 season on the road, adjusting to different climates across the eastern half of the country. The Minutemen were greeted with less-than-ideal conditions at Earl Lorden Field in Amherst on Tuesday, which caused breaking balls to bite less and fastballs to sit flat.
As the season progresses, coach Reynolds and his staff will look to figure out a steady rotation to rely on.
“We are still learning,” Reynolds said. “We’re trying to slot guys from a role standpoint, so it was at least good to get some guys out there for their first, second, or maybe third time.”
The Minutemen continue their season with a three-game road series in Maryland against Towson University from Friday, March 25 to Sunday, March 27. Friday’s game will start at 2 p.m., while Saturday’s game will begin at 1 p.m. and Sunday’s game will start at noon.
Judah Katz can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @judah_katz.
